The full involvement and support of the public and effective engagement with police forces, law enforcement agencies and other key stakeholders is essential if the National Ballistics Intelligence Service (NABIS) is to succeed.

If you are reading this page as a member of the public you are strongly encouraged to report anything whatsoever you may see or hear about the criminal use of firearms to the police. It may be a conversation you overhear in a shop or a pub that suggests someone may have illegal access to a firearm, it may be that you hear noises late at night that you think may be gunshots, or that you see someone acting suspiciously. In any of these circumstances do not hesitate to contact the police – it is better to be safe than sorry! In an emergency dial 999 or in other circumstances contact your local police station or dial Crimestoppers on 0800 555111.

It may be even more difficult if you believe that a friend or member of your family may have access to a gun or ammunition or that they may have used a gun illegally. By contacting the police you may prevent a tragedy occurring, save someone’s life or allow us to recover the weapon before somebody close to you does something that they will regret forever.

If you are a police officer it is vital that every opportunity is taken to recover ballistic items from any incident where a firearm may have been discharged in suspicious or obviously criminal circumstances.

It is equally important that all recovered ballistic items are entered onto the registry of the NABIS Database, and that all items fitting the criteria that earmark them as being suitable for submission to the NABIS hubs are submitted expeditiously.

Gun crime has a disproportionately detrimental impact upon all communities that suffer its effects. It is the very reality of having a friend or family member shot merely because they are in the wrong neighbourhood, belong to the wrong gang or are perceived to have ‘disrespected’ somebody that means that although such incidents are still thankfully rare in the UK in comparison with most other countries, that one such incident is one too many.

It has long been a frustration for those tasked with investigating this most serious of crimes that there was no real co-ordination of ballistic and tactical intelligence, which adversely affected the ability of investigators to expeditiously identify links between offences. NABIS will now be able to provide really fast time intelligence that links incidents, offenders and locations together. In urgent cases we can provide that information in 24 to 48 hours.

We have developed and will be maintaining strong links with a wide range of partner agencies in the law enforcement and commercial sectors to ensure that a first class service is continuously delivered. We aim to provide the capability that will allow investigators to work together to identify, target and prosecute the minority of individuals that have such a detrimental effect upon our communities, and who use extreme violence either randomly or in the pursuance of other criminal activity.

NABIS is committed to engaging across the broadest of spectrums in order to achieve these aims. If you want to contact the NABIS team you can e-mail us on ah_nabis@west-midlands.pnn.police.uk.